


The Bandit and the Baronet

by Zoa



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 1700s, 18th Century, Alternate Universe - Historical, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Devoted Reylo, Established Kylo Ren/Rey, Established Relationship, Established Reylo, F/M, a scarlet pimpernel au which would not leave my head, bandit ben
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2020-10-27 20:04:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoa/pseuds/Zoa
Summary: Rachel ‘Rey’ St. Niima married the baronet Benjamin Organa-Solo, heir to the vast Skywalker estate, on the warmest day in July, 1793. They were married only two months before Rey’s home country of Takodana erupted in a civil war between two factions: the Resistance and the First Order.To Rey’s dismay, she has found that her husband does not share her views on the conflict and she fears she has made the greatest mistake in marrying him.But there is hope in the figure of the mysterious Kylo Ren, a masked bandit who has garnered a reputation as a bulwark against the First Order.--Inspired by Baroness Orczy's 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> full disclosure, i have not edited this much so it's probably a mess.

_What sort of man have I married?_

_Is he inhuman? Or simply apathetic?_

“My people are suffering - dying - and you can think of nothing besides how your business will suffer?” Rachel (who preferred to go by Rey) St. Niima Solo gawked at her husband, who sat impassively at the other end of their dining room table. “Have you no sympathy?”

Her husband, Benjamin Organa-Solo, dabbed his cloth napkin at the corner of his mouth and place it gingerly on the cherry-wood table. “I do have sympathy, madame,” he replied. “But I am also aware that revolutions of this sort have a far reach and Chandrila is already feeling the effects. I must think of our interests.”

“Interests!” Rey slammed the palm of her hand down on the table, making the breakfast dishes rattle. The footmen around them flinched but did not otherwise react. Rey paid them no mind. She could only focus on the image of her husband’s infuriating stony face. “Our interests should be that of the innocents being _murdered_ in their beds! Or dragged out of them and hung in the streets! They wanted freedom and were rewarded with tyranny!”

A shrug from his end served to warm her cheeks. “And what are we to do about it? They’ve made their bed,” he returned his attention to the half-read letter in his hand. “Let them lie in it.”

Rey jumped up from her seat, breathing erratic. Her husband, the ineffable Benjamin, did not so much as raise a brow. She narrowed her eyes and straightened, planting as imperious an expression on her face as she could. 

“You have no heart, sir.” She stated coldly and imagined she saw him flinch but of course a man with no feelings could hardly be offended by her words. 

Leaving that as her final remark, she removed herself from the dining room. 

When she had made it to the grand staircase of their manor, she took a moment and placed one hand on the banister and the other on her waist, the silk of her dress cool and steadying beneath her palm.

He was so different from the man she had known in courtship. Once he’d been warm and passionate, someone who’d admired the Resistance’s cause. Now he was dull and apathetic - a man only concerned by how the Revolution would affect his damned interests. 

She missed the old Ben. But maybe he never existed. 

Perhaps he’d only been a dream.

****

“I hear that Kylo Ren terrorized the First Order again last week,” Lord Hux drawled. “Saving prisoners, destroying supplies and the like. He’s a veritable menace.”

Rey leaned forward in her seat to hear better what the lord was saying. She and Ben were attending a dinner party at the Honorable Duke Ackbar’s estate, an event Rey would have preferred skipping altogether but Ben wouldn’t hear of it. Ackbar was an old friend of his family’s and it wouldn’t do to snub the ancient man. 

“Kylo Ren?” She repeated and Lord Hux turned annoyed eyes on her. Rey refused to be cowed. “Who is this mysterious bandit?”

“Someone who doesn’t mind his own business,” Ben quipped from across the table. Much to Rey’s annoyance, the remark was rewarded with titters of laughter from the other guests. 

She turned her attention back to Hux, determined to find out more about the man who was striving to help the people in the Resistance. “Lord Hux, you must answer me. This is the first I am hearing of such a person. I’m sure you know of my personal stake in the matter.”

Her brother was still across the channel in Takodana, fighting with the Resistance for their home. Their freedom. Had Rey not married and moved to Chandrila before the Revolution had begun, she would have stayed to fight as well. As it was, she was cursed to watch from a distance as Finn and their friends bled to preserve democracy. 

Lord Hux stiffened at the reminder but maintained an expression of disdain. “My apologies, Lady Solo. My understanding is that this Kylo Ren travels across Takodana with a band of… what is it they call themselves? Ah, yes. The Knights of Ren.” He laughed. “Ridiculous moniker but for some reason it’s stuck. In any case, they wreak havoc on the First Order. Foolish men.” 

“Or brave.” Rey said, drawing the attention of the other diners. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ben watching her, but she ignored him. “I dream of a world in possession of more men willing to stand against regimes like the First Order.”

“Madame, I think it would be a chaotic world.” Lord Hux took a sip of his wine. The conversation turned to something more inane and Rey recoiled into her seat. She wondered at the existence of a man who was brave enough to fight the worst of humanity for those he didn’t know. 

She’d once thought her own husband capable of such motives. A part of the reason she had fallen in love. Glancing down the table at her inscrutable husband, Rey mourned for the foolish girl she’d once been. 

****

The letter fluttered to the table from Rey’s trembling hand, the words upon it striking terror in her soul.

Finn was caught. Her brother was in the hands of the First Order. 

“Rey?” 

Her head shot up to meet the gaze of her husband and she saw a flicker of his former self - his brows knit together, brown eyes narrowed in what she thought was concern. 

“Finn was captured.” She whispered, edging the deplorable letter across the table toward her husband for him to read. Their fingers brushed as he took it but before Rey could take his hand as she longed to he withdrew with the letter. 

As he read through the rushed scrawl of Finn’s commander, Poe Dameron - a man Rey had known only briefly before she moved to Chandrila - Rey watched her husband’s features morph into a stony, unreadable slate. 

“This is unfortunate,” he said upon finishing, and folded the letter before returning it to her. “Very unfortunate.” 

Rey watched him return to eating his breakfast like what he’d just read was simply a notification of a cow going missing instead of her worst nightmare. 

Tears born of anger, frustration, and grief stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. If he was so uncaring then her tears would do no good. She would not waste them on him. 

“I’ll be leaving for a brief turn,” he said and she stiffened. He’d been gone many nights lately. It seemed there was always something to draw him away. “My tenants in the south require my attention.”

She didn’t reply but focused her gaze on the egg which lay untouched on her plate, unwilling to utter aloud the hateful words running through her mind. 

_Go, you hateful, deplorable man. I would not care if you didn’t return._

****

A week later Ben returned, looking paler than usual and Rey imagined he was favoring his right side. He didn’t so much as glance her way when she appeared in the sitting room doorway upon hearing the front door of the manor open. He merely strode toward the staircase, his boots dropping globs of mud on the floor. Their housekeeper wouldn’t appreciate that. The distinct scent of smoke hung about him and Rey wondered if he’d passed through a forest on fire as made his way back. 

Before she could even inquire after him, he was halfway up the stairs and out of earshot. 

She watched him go with a scowl before returning to the settee and the book she’d been reading before he’d arrived. 

She did not see him again that night. 

****

The next morning brought a welcome distraction in the form of Kaydel Connix, the daughter of another lord and someone who had quickly become one of Rey’s dearest friends. 

“Such news, my dear!” Kaydel Connix flew into Rey’s sitting room with a flourish, whipping her cloak off before collapsing onto the settee beside Rey. “My heart cannot take this excitement!”

Rey laughed and shifted down the settee to make room for Kaydel, pulling the skirts of her blue dress with her. “You’re too young to say such things,” she admonished. “What are you on about?”

Kaydel leaned forward, her round cheeks flushed and eyes bright. “That masked hero across the channel has conducted a prison break!”

“Kylo Ren?” Rey had been reaching for the bell to ring for tea but dropped her hand. “A prison break?”

“Yes,” her visitor nodded. “I overheard my father speaking with Lord Hux. It happened three nights ago. Kylo Ren and his Knights raided the most secure of the First Order’s prisons and freed all the inmates. Then they burned the place to the ground!”

Rey’s heart pounded in her chest. Had the prison been the one to which Finn had been taken? Surely that was too much to hope for. But nonetheless hope sprung anew inside her. 

“What’s more,” Kaydel continued, “apparently Ren himself was hurt. From what Lord Hux said he was struck in the side by a stray bullet.”

“In his side?” Rey repeated, a stray, fantastical thought coming to her mind. “His side…”

Kaydel frowned. “What?” 

“Oh, nothing,” Rey shook her head and dismissed her errant thoughts. “Nothing. How does Lord Hux know so much?” She asked, forcing herself to refocus. “He seems to know much of Kylo Ren’s movements.”

Kaydel harrumphed. “Hux is a First Order sympathizer. He’s even gone so far as to introduce a bill in Parliament calling for Chandrila to ally with the ghastly people.”

Rey’s mouth dropped open. “Parliament would never go for such a scheme!” She said indignantly. The revelation didn’t come as a complete surprise. Armitage Hux had never struck Rey as a decent man. There were too many stories surrounding him and his estate of underhanded dealings and illegal trade.

“Most likely not,” Kaydel nodded sagely. “But Lord Hux is deeply involved. Apparently he is actively seeking Kylo Ren’s true identity. What’s more, he suspects him to be an aristocrat _from _Chandrila.”

For a reason beyond Rey’s knowledge, Kaydel’s information filled her with dread that edged on terror. If Hux thought that Kylo Ren was a member of society, then it was very likely Rey knew him. 

In fact, it was all but certain. 

****

That very afternoon Armitage Hux visited the Solo estate. Rey was alone in the library, searching for a new book when Mitaka, their butler, announced the visitor. Rey froze on the step stool, unsure of what to do but realized she couldn’t just leave Hux in the foyer. 

“Please show him in, Mitaka,” she said as she alit from the stool, holding tightly to the novel in her hands. “And please let my husband know of our visitor.” 

Mitaka bowed and disappeared. Rey took a deep breath and conjured up all her wits. A deep sense of foreboding supplied by Kaydel’s news warned her this was no ordinary visit. 

“Lady Solo,” Hux appeared just as Rey finished composing herself. He bowed and she curtsied in response. 

“Lord Hux. It’s surely a pleasant surprise to see you.” She smiled graciously. “What is the occasion?”

Hux moved further into the room, approaching Rey. She took a discreet step backward, feigning that the move was only to put her book down on the desk behind her. The man edged toward the globe which sat beside the window which faced the garden. 

“I am sorry to say, my lady, that this call is not for pleasantries.” He announced, slowly turning the globe. “I am here to inquire as to your husband’s whereabouts this past week.”

Rey scowled. What did that have to do with Hux? “My husband?” she repeated. “Of what interest are his movements to you?”

Hux looked her way, his brows raised. “The news has not reached you? But of course. It’s only happened in the last few hours. What a pleasure that I am the first to bestow it! Chandrila has allied with the First Order against the Resistance.”

Rey did her best to remain standing even though her entire body had gone numb. 

“What…?”

Lord Hux turned to face her more directly. “Yes. It became clear to our parliament that a First Order victory is inevitable. A group of lords, including myself, urged parliament to move ahead of the event. The First Order has established themselves as a formidable force. It is in our best interests as a nation to be on good terms with them.”

Yes, she was certain the power-hungry members in parliament were all too eager to ensure their own security in the case of a First Order victory. Rey raised her chin. 

“You have not answered my question, sir. What does any of that have to do with my husband?”

Hux pursed his lips and stepped to the desk, his hands behind his back. The movement shifted his coat and revealed to Rey the First Order colors pinned to his cravat. 

“As a gesture of good faith on our part, Chandrila has promised the First Order to capture and bring to justice the criminal Kylo Ren and his band of so-called Knights. It was my honor to accept the responsibility of finding him. Recent clues have brought me to this corner of the country. I believe him to be a member of our aristocracy and am investigating all avenues. Your husband,” he edged even closer, an inch away from her space, “is the last on my list.” He smiled in a way that chilled Rey to the bone. “I only wish to strike him as a possibility.” 

Rey opened her mouth to retort, her defenses on the rise despite the cold relations between she and Ben lately, but was prevented from doing so by the appearance of the man in question. 

“I believe I can answer your questions, Armitage,” Ben said from the doorway, looking every bit the aristocrat in his deep blue coat. Hux turned. 

“Ah!” He exclaimed with such false delight that Rey had to close her eyes to prevent them from rolling. “So good to see you, Sir Benjamin. Are you well? You seem to be favoring your side…” 

Indeed, Rey now noticed Ben was still leaning too heavily on his left leg and his right arm was too close to his body. 

A strained, polite smile appeared on Ben’s face. “Yes. Unfortunately I was thrown from my horse on my return journey yesterday. The stupid creature was frightened by a log.”

“How vexing.” Hux intoned. “Pray, from where were you coming?”

“My tenants in Coruscant County.” 

“Of what nature was the business?”

Ben shrugged. “The farmer requested a reduction in the price of the lease and I went down to further discuss it. Come Hux,” he barked a laugh Rey did not recognize. “Surely you have more worthy avenues to traverse in your search for this ‘Kylo Ren’ than my boring business in the south.”

“I might,” Hux lifted his chin in what Rey thought was defiance. “But I would be remiss if I did not pursue all possibilities.” 

“Indeed. But perhaps we’ve bored my wife enough with this talk,” Ben stood aside and gestured for Hux to follow him. “Come to my office and I’ll be glad to supply any details you wish.”

For a moment the two men stared each other down, neither giving some kind of tug of war Rey couldn’t fully understand. Then Hux relaxed. 

“Good of you, sir. And my apologies, madame,” the visitor bowed to Rey. “I hope I didn’t incite any discomfort or offend you.”

Rey took a breath and smiled more graciously than she felt. “You are only doing your duty, sir. I have not taken offense.” She thought she saw Ben’s mouth twitch but when she turned her head toward him, his expression was as placid as it had ever been. 

After the two men departed, Rey allowed herself to sag against the desk, a hand over her racing heart. 

The kingdom of Chandrila now belonged to the First Order. Hope had never seemed so far. 

Yet that was not the only shocking prospect of Hux’s visit. Did he truly suspect Ben of being Kylo Ren, that masked bandit that was such a nuisance to the First Order? 

Rey shook her head. The idea was utterly ridiculous. Ben was completely apathetic to the struggle across the channel. 

He couldn’t be Kylo Ren.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey sees the masked man in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL. This has turned into a six chapter tale because I couldn't resist. Love y'all and I hope you enjoy! ❤️

It was more than an hour that the two men were enclosed in Ben’s office. Rey spent the time pacing the library, glancing out the door to the shut oak door on the other side of the hall. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her stomach in a state of flux she couldn’t understand. 

What did she have to fear? Ben was not Kylo Ren. He was so unlike the bandit he may as well have been born from an entirely different species. 

Nonetheless the nerves prevailed until Ben’s office door creaked open and Rey stood at attention, eyes wide as she perceived the scene. 

The two men were laughing as if they were old friends. 

Rey watched Ben walk Hux to the front door in slack-jawed amazement. This could not be! The pair had never acted like this together! Rey had always thought they possessed mutual, vehement hatred for each other. 

Yet unless her eyes deceived her, Ben did indeed have his hand on Armitage Hux’s shoulder in a grip that a brother might use. 

Any fears Rey had vanished, replaced with utter contempt for both Hux and her husband. 

When the door closed with Hux on the outside and Ben turned. Rey was certain her feelings were plain to see on her face. From the way her husband quirked a brow as he approached her where she stood in the hall, she knew she was right. 

“Lord Hux is satisfied I am not Kylo Ren,” he announced blandly, as if the accusation had been a minor blunder instead of a possibly life-changing charge. 

Rey smiled but knew it didn’t reach her eyes. “Hux is a terrible judge of character to have assumed a man like you could possibly be Kylo Ren.”

She knew he must have understood the message between her words but he didn’t so much as flinch. He only rubbed his chin. 

“Perhaps you are right, wife.” He took a breath then made a low noise in the back of his throat. “However, it is an amusing prospect.”

He returned to his office and shut the door behind him, leaving Rey alone and glaring at his door. 

Amusing indeed, she thought with a scoff.

****

They were on their way to Hosnia, Chandrila’s capitol city, two days later. Ben apparently had some kind of business to attend to there, and as the season was about to begin, Rey decided to join him and enjoy the treats of the city early. 

When Rey made her decision known, her husband was contemptibly indifferent. Rey received the impression he did not care at all if she stayed on the Skywalker estate or went with him. At the outset of their marriage, it seemed he did not wish to be parted from her for even a single moment. A feeling she had shared. 

Now they were sat on opposite sides of their carriage, Ben engrossed in a newspaper and Rey staring out the window thinking how fitting it was that rain was falling in heavy patters against the window. The weather matched her mood. Every now and then she would turn to Ben to say something - anything - to relieve the tight atmosphere but when she saw how he frowned at the pages in his hand, she gave up. He would just say something fatuous or ask her for silence. 

So the trip was passed in an unpleasant quiet that did not break until they pulled up outside their city home, located in the most well-to-do neighborhood in Hosnia. 

Theirs was one of many white townhomes that lined the streets like pearls plucked directly from their oysters, shining in the clear light of the autumn sun that had broken through the clouds as soon as the Solo carriage crossed the city limits. Rey was thankful. At least she might be able to enjoy a walk that evening. 

As she alit from the carriage and stepped onto the wet stone sidewalk, she remembered one warm evening in July. A few days before their marriage, she and Ben had snuck away from their latest engagement party and simply and wonderfully enjoyed each other’s company. Rey paused on the steps of their townhome as the memory replayed itself in her mind - they had stood on this very street, daydreaming of their new life together. 

“Are you well?” Ben’s voice cut through Rey’s thoughts and she jumped. He stood at the bottom of the steps watching her with a blank expression. The footmen stood behind him with their trunks. “I have a meeting this evening so we must rush and, as late as I am, I’m afraid I cannot stay for supper.” He added in a pointed tone. 

Rey narrowed her gaze. “My apologies, husband,” she turned on her heel and took the rest of the steps two at a time in a very unladylike fashion. “We mustn’t be late for our meeting.” She added mockingly. 

****

The next afternoon Rey took the opportunity to visit the Dowager Duchess Amilyn Holdo, a long-time friend of the Solo’s via Ben’s mother, the Honorable Leia Organa (who was abroad with Han, Ben’s father, for a jaunt across the continent). Rey and the Duchess Holdo had bonded at Rey and Ben’s wedding and Rey received an open invitation to visit whenever she and Ben were in Hosnia. 

The day was fine, with just a hint of the cooler months fast approaching in the air, and the two women decided a walk would be just the thing for their constitutions. 

Hosnia was a beautiful city, Rey thought, although its new grandeur was so unlike the charm of Takodana’s ancient structures. The city was built on the latest technologies and materials, its streets redesigned and restructured to run more efficiently on the cusp of the new century. 

“Sometimes I miss the old Hosnia,” Duchess Holdo commented. They had entered a park on the other side of which was the city’s hall of government. “I will venture into the older parts of the city sometimes just to remind myself of the things that shouldn’t be lost to time.”

Rey hummed. “It’s a grievous fact that sometimes we lose more things than we gain in the name of progress.”

Their conversation was cut short as they approached the end of the park and heard a roar emanating from beyond the tree line. It was then Rey noticed the people rushing toward the same place she and Amilyn were walking: Parliament. 

When the two women exited the park they were confronted by a crowd that was near riot. Chanting and cries of protest against the recent decision by the Parliament to join with the First Order sang in Rey’s ears and her heart raced in excitement. She wasn’t alone.

“Oh dear!” Amilyn gasped and took hold of Rey’s arm. “This is dreadful!”

Rey shook her head. “I think it’s wonderful! Surely the Parliament must listen now! Allying with the First Order is not what the people want. This proves it!”

The sound of a horse galloping toward them drew Rey’s attention away from the crowd of excited protesters. A dark horse and rider charged through the gathering, the horse sliding on its hooves as its rider pulled hard on the reigns to slow it. 

The crowed rumbled anew with wild cries and cheers.

Somehow Rey knew exactly who it was despite never hearing a description of the man. 

Kylo Ren. 

He wore dark clothes and a strange, ebony mask covered his face, concealing his identity entirely - not even his eyes were visible. His black charger foamed at the mouth as it danced through the people, trotting back and forth in front of the grand, white marble steps of Parliament. Ren was holding aloft the Chandrilan flag in one hand and a scarlet rapier in the other. 

Rey moved forward, drawn to the dark figure on his near-feral steed. Even Amilyn’s hold could not keep her back. She pushed through the rippling crowd, bumping and chafing her way to the front. Her eyes remained on Kylo Ren. As she emerged from the ocean of people, the masked hero flung the flag like a javelin toward the wooden doors of Parliament. 

The rod sailed through the air and found its mark with a heavy thud. The crowd erupted with more frenzied cheers and the man who had thrown the adopted symbol of freedom turned his charger. 

Even though Rey could not see his face, when he turned and urged his horse forward, she knew the moment their eyes met. It seemed that he paused, as if frozen in place at the sight of her. 

Guards emerged from the Parliament doors and at the same time Kylo Ren spurred his horse into a gallop, Rey was tugged backward into the crowd and she lost sight of the dashing rogue. 

“We must leave!” Amilyn hissed in her ear. “Hurry, Rey!”

Rey allowed herself to be pulled from the scene, too lost in her thoughts and racing heart to carry herself anywhere. 

He’d seen her. He’d _stared_ at her_. _Like he was shocked she was there. 

There was no doubt in Rey’s mind now that she knew who the man behind the mask was, and he knew her. 

_Who could he be?_

****

Rey walked back to the duchess’ grand home in silence, unresponsive to Amilyn’s excited musings about the protest they had witnessed. 

When Rey returned home, she was still in a slightly catatonic state, so consumed with sifting through her acquaintances for Kylo Ren’s identity that she did not realize her husband was late until he strode into the sitting room. She was sitting on the sofa watching a blaze flicker inside the fireplace, her chin propped in her hand. 

“Rey. Did you hear me?”

Rey’s head whipped around and she took in a breath in surprise. “Oh. Hello.” She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the rest of the room. She hadn’t realized the sun had set. “I’m sorry, my dear, I didn’t. What did you say?”

Ben grunted and sat on the sofa placed across from Rey’s. “I asked how your day with Amilyn went.”

“Oh. Oh!” It was a surprise he was interested at all in her activities. Elated, she leaned forward in her seat. “Ben, I saw him! It was most exciting! The people were protesting before the Parliament house and Kylo Ren himself appeared! He flung our flag into the door and rode away like… like a hero!”

Deceived by her husband’s uncharacteristic attention, Rey expected him to react favorably to her tale, but instead he snorted derisively and the delight she was feeling evaporated. 

“That Ren fellow is a nuisance,” he said. “He was the reason I was late this evening. The guards are scouring the city for him and searching everyone who even remotely matches his description. I expect they’ll find the scoundrel soon and put him to rights.”

Rey’s face heated and she stiffened. “I hope they don’t. He stands for justice and honor.”

“He stands on a two-legged chair that is primed to topple over,” Ben retorted. “Those people protesting. I heard they were all imprisoned for disturbing the peace and threatening the Lords of Parliament. What good is a man who harms the very people he wished to protect. The irony of it all is amusing.” He reached for the book on the table beside the sofa and idly flipped it open. 

His wife was scandalized. Rey could only stare at the bowed head of her husband as he engrossed himself in the book of science he’d picked up. He’d said all those terrible things in a dreadful tone, completely devoid of emotion or sympathy. 

Rey could not standing being in the same room with him for one more second and walked out without another word but with a one sure thought: 

_I will find out who Kylo Ren is and I will help him fight against the First Order. Then we will see who remains standing, Benjamin Solo._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo Ren sabotages the First Order and the Solo's attend a ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Huzzah! In my efforts to organize and finish my current WIPS, I'm tackling them two at a time. This one will be updated every Friday until it's finished! Thanks for all the patience! I hope you enjoy!

Three days after Rey witnessed Kylo Ren’s act of defiance, the First Order marched through Hosnia. 

Rey and her husband were taking a quiet stroll home after dining at _Maz’s Cafe_, one of the city’s most famous restaurants. She would not have gone at all had it not been his suggestion, a gesture which came as a complete surprise to her. 

The cafe had been the couple’s favorite haunt during their courtship and engagement, a place of which Rey had many fond memories. Dark corners and secret kisses. Whispered promises for a bright and happy future. She accompanied her husband in the hope that he, too, desired to relive those lost moments. Perhaps renew the desire for those promises. The meal was pleasant enough, as it always had been, but, alas, it was not as Rey desired. Ben was quiet, as usual, their conversation verging on the inane until it tapered off completely. 

When the time came to leave, Rey was glad of it. 

Until the First Order made its appearance. Then she wished to be anywhere else. Rey stood frozen as the legion of troops in stark black and white uniforms passed them by. The drum line was first, followed by the formidable infantry and mounted brigade. Behind the brigade was the First Order’s pride and glory, their prize unit: the cannons. 

A chill flittered down Rey’s spine as ten, colossal cannons rolled down the avenue, each pulled by three Clydesdales that stood at seventeen hands high. The barrels of the cannons were wide enough to easily fit two men comfortably and Rey surmised more could lay down the length. These were the monsters that had laid waste to Takodana’s cities and towns, that had destroyed innumerable homes and taken the lives of thousands. These were the Supreme Leader’s instruments of war.

The parade continued on with more artillery and more soldiers, an obvious show of force as the regime took hold of the city. Rey could not but help and look at her husband, desirous of more than she knew he would offer - comfort, empathy, things he had not given in months. As she expected, his expression was as passive as ever, his eyes dully following the First Order procession. 

“We should have departed earlier,” he grumbled, as if the parade were nothing more than a collection of overly-zealous street cleaners in their way.

He did not care that their city, their country - while not suffering the devastation of Takodana - was no more. It now belonged to the First Order. 

Such great disappointment and grief consumed Rey that a tear fell; she wiped it away before it was noticed. Crying was no use. Neither her husband nor the First Order would be moved by her tears. 

She could only hope that Kylo Ren had a plan to rid Chandrila of its invaders.

****

As it was on all nights as of late, Rey slept alone. Their city house was blessed with many rooms, of which her husband had taken up a few in the opposite wing to her quarters. He claimed it was to prevent her disturbance if he worked late; it did not. Her sleep was fitful regardless.

Rey was quickly revived when the morning came, for with it arrived exciting news, courtesy of an animated Kaydel. The illustrious and mysterious Kylo Ren had moved against the First Order. During the night - the very night the regime had settled in their barracks - Fort Dantooine’s magazine was raided and all the First Order’s precious ammunition was taken. 

While it would not force them out, Rey considered it a victory. It showed the First Order that the people of Chandrila would not simply bow down; they would fight back. They had a champion in Kylo Ren and he would not fail them. 

Her husband was less enthused. 

“This fellow is going to get us all killed.” He lamented. 

Rey paid him no mind. Instead she went back to the journal she’d started on the bandit. Within its pages was everything she’d heard about Kylo Ren and facts on the aristocratic men she knew might fit his person. She still needed more information. 

A ball was to be held that weekend, at the prime minister’s grand home.Under the circumstances Rey would have dreaded attending as it was sure to be filled with First Order officers, but with her new interest in Kylo Ren, she now looked forward to it. She could quietly inquire of the man, sifting through the rumors to see what information the First Order had on him. 

If she found out his identity, then she would join his cause. 

****

The ball was, as most Hosnian balls were, decadent. Prime Minister Canady’s home was dripping with the finest decor, brimming with the best libations, and overrun with the most delectable foods the capitol had to offer. When the minister hosted a party, he spared no expense. 

This night was to be the richest exhibition yet. Rey could only assume it was for the benefit of Chandrila’s new overlords. Sure enough, when Ben escorted her into the grand ballroom of the minister’s palace, it was blanketed in First Order colors. Ladies with whom Rey was not acquainted sported sashes of the same design and she knew they were the wives of the First Order officers in attendance. They very nearly pranced about the ballroom on the arms of their treacherous husbands, as if they were blessing the Chandrilans with their presence and the locals should be thankful. 

A tense air hung in the room from the many Chandrilans in attendance. Rey imagined even the ones who supported the veritable coup were uneasy. The First Order was not a kind master. The few who had been in opposition seemed resigned. As if they had already given up. 

Not so with Rey. She was engaged in a small form of protest she’d thought of last minute. Around the waist of her cream colored satin dress, she had tied an orange ribbon, the finished look emulating the Chandrilan flag. 

When she had first appeared to her husband in the gown, she thought she had seen a flash in his eyes, a glint of his former self; the way he had gazed at her when they were first married. As if he were in awe of her. 

But she blinked and the expression had disappeared, a figment of her imagination. 

He stood as stoic as ever now as they meandered into the ballroom. Rey was all smiles, the courteous lady she had been trained to be. She hoped that education would serve her well tonight as she encouraged free talk of from the First Order guests. 

The small orchestra Canady had ordered for the night struck up the first dance and the attendees gathered on the floor with their partners. 

“Would you care to dance, my dear?”

Rey was shocked to realize the question had come from her husband. For a moment she could only stand and gawk at him. His expression remained placid except for a small twitch under his left eye as he waited for her answer. 

“If you would prefer to abstain,” he added slowly, “I understand. I do not wish to press you.”

“No, I-I would. Yes.” Rey rushed to say, forcing herself from her bewilderment. Her eyes trailed down as he lifted and offered his hand to her. Rey slid her gloved fingers across his palm and his closed around her hand, warm and firm, as he guided the way to the dance floor. 

Rey was acutely aware as his free arm snaked its way around her waist to draw her to him. She rested her hand on his shoulder; her fingers trembled as she slipped them across the smooth satin of his formal, midnight blue coat. They had not been this close in months. She couldn’t recall the last time he’d held her, truthfully. Her eyes flicked up to his face and her breath stuttered to find his eyes on her, gentle and full of… _yearning_. 

Could it be that he was as exhausted as she by their quarrels? As frustrated by the wall that had arisen between them? It wasn’t too late. He could return to her, if he would only _speak_. 

Before Rey could say those burning thoughts aloud, Ben’s eyes found purchase elsewhere and his face clouded once more, transforming into as real a mask as the one Kylo Ren bore. 

Rey’s heart sank. She glanced over her shoulder to see what had distracted Ben and saw that it was a congregation of First Order officials. She knew them by the way they sneered at everyone else. Hux was with them.

It wasn’t until they were feet away that she realized Ben was taking them to the small gathering. Hux and the other gentlemen turned and bowed as Ben stopped beside them. 

“Good evening, gentlemen,” he greeted with a polite smile and received polite nods in return. “Allow me to introduce myself: Sir Benjamin Organa-Solo. And this is my wife, Rachel.”

Rey’s heart beat quickly with a mixture of anger and adrenaline. She took a breath to calm herself; this was where she wanted to be. Where she _needed_ to be. When all of this was finished, she could confront Ben as to what his own motives were. Right now, she had to focus on her own. She curtsied deeply and rose with what she hoped was a friendly smile. 

“Sir Benjamin possesses the largest area of land in southern Chandrila and has many tenants in multiple counties,” Hux informed the group, all of whom instantly relaxed and warmed. In Rey’s experience, money tended to be a great tool to have in one’s pocket, and Ben had plenty of it. Now these First Order leaders knew it and they wanted it. 

The conversation waxed and waned and bored Rey to no end but she maintained her smile. She told herself to be patient; information needed to be gained organically in cases such as this. 

Her patience was soon rewarded. 

“Madame Solo, would you care to dance?” Hux offered his hand to her and Rey, though usually she would feign some excuse, was eager to accept. “This conversation must surely be boring you.”

“Thank you, Lord Hux, I would be delighted. My love?” she placed her free hand on Ben’s arm. “Please excuse me. Lord Hux has offered me a dance.”

A flash of something in his eyes gave her pause but, as usual, she must have imagined it because the next second he gave her an inane grin. 

“Do enjoy yourself, my dear.”

Rey plastered yet another fake smile upon her face and dropped her hand from her husband’s arm, disappointed for an unknown reason. “Indeed, I shall.” 

With that, she allowed Hux to lead her into the cheerful gavotte the orchestra was leading. He wasn’t a terrible partner, but he was stiff. Rey imagined a slower dance would be more to his liking. 

“I must apologize, Lady Solo.” 

“Whatever for, sir?” she asked, unable to conceal her surprise. He wasn't a man who apologized. For anything. 

“I’m afraid my behavior at your home was inappropriate. I should have kept my suspicions to myself until I had a chance to discuss them with your husband. There was no need to concern you with them. I acted in a very ungentlemanly manner.”

Bewilderment replaced Rey’s surprise but coincided with new suspicion. Hux was angling for something; what it was she didn’t know, but she needed to tread carefully. 

“Please, think nothing more of it.” She assured him. “As long as you are satisfied my husband is not the bandit you seek, we can live as if it never happened.” 

Satisfaction passed over Hux's face. “You are too gracious, Lady Solo.”

The smile Rey gave him was demure. “I only wish for your and my husband’s long friendship to remain.”

“Indeed. Sir Benjamin has indicated he is most…” Hux paused and a slight smile lifted his mouth and sickened Rey, “…amiable, about the country’s new direction. Which is greatly reassuring. His support will aid the transition.”

Ice filled Rey’s veins, freezing her heart and lungs until she couldn’t breath. 

“He did?” She wasn’t sure how she managed to say the words without her voice trembling. “Yes, of course he did.”

She told herself she shouldn’t be surprised, but in her heart of hearts she was shattered. 

“Indeed. He has also promised to aid in my search for this Kylo Ren nuisance.”

At that, Rey alerted. “Did he? And do you have news of the scoundrel?”

Hux’s eyes narrowed and his grip tightened where their hands were joined. “I was under the impression you were of the mind that the bandit was justified in his actions?”

“Oh… Well, one can have a change of heart? Can’t one?” Rey hoped her tone was contrite and he couldn’t hear her erratic heart. “I saw him deface our own Parliament and after what happened at the fort… I can’t see the justification in that. He could have hurt innocents.”

For a few, long minutes they turned about the room in a heavy silence. Hux’s eyes were surveying her and she knew he was calculating her honesty. She could only hope that he believed her. It was a great relief when Hux smiled and his hold relaxed. 

“Of course. I understand. If one is not secure in their own convictions, we are easily swept into less acceptable opinions.”

Rey smiled again, but found the expression harder to conjure. She was already tired of Lord Hux and his sanctimoniousness. But she needed the information he held. 

“As we have come to a new understanding, and my husband has offered his services in your quest, is there anything I might be able to do?” 

“You, Madame?” he raised a brow. “What could you do?”

Rey feigned consideration. “Perhaps I could help you narrow down the suspects? As you know, my husband and I are blessed to have many friends in the aristocracy. I myself am quite friendly with their wives and you know how we women like to talk…”

She hoped he took the bait. 

“There might be something…” He leaned in conspiratorially. “There are four men of interest to me…”

Rey held her breath. If he told her the names, she would make sure to find the real Kylo Ren before he did. She would do everything she could to help the noble bandit continue his work in safety. Misdirect Hux, plant false clues, anything. 

However, before Hux announced the names to her, a ruckus nearby took his attention away and Rey threw a glare over shoulder at whatever it was, only to stop short in the middle of the dance floor and gawk. 

Her husband was where she had left him, but instead of acting the stately gentleman, he was prancing around as if on a horse, swinging an imaginary sword, regaling the First Order officers. Horrified, Rey charged forward, rudely leaving Hux behind and forgetting her purpose. 

When she reached the group her husband had calmed, only to sing a tune. 

_“They cannot tame him,_

_Though certainly they blame him,_

_Those FO’s are a’flamin’._

_He’s hidin’ in the glen,_

_With his seven other men,_

_That wily Kylo Ren._”

For some reason - most likely because they were as drunk as if they’d been marinated in a barrel of wine - the stupid song drove the First Order audience into hysterics. Screams of laughter and demands for more filled her ears. All due to her husband’s ridiculousness. He’d truly lost his mind.

Rey’s face reddened, her embarrassment nearly unbearable. Ben turned a grin on her but she couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t stand to be near him. Rey swiveled around and rushed to the other side of the ballroom to find a secluded corner. Leaning against the cool wall, she bit into her lips to stop herself from crying. 

She hated him. She truly hated him. 

****

A week later Ben announced they were moving back to their country estate, his business in the city concluded. Rey was most unhappy; she had planned on staying the full season and learning as much as she could about Kylo Ren. She argued the decision, but Ben insisted. 

As stubborn as he was, Rey knew it was useless to argue. She would find another way to get the information she sought. There were parties and teas aplenty to be had in the country. She was not without her connections.

She would succeed, regardless of her husband’s chicanery and insipidness and sudden love for their conquerers. 

No one could stop her. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey formulates a plan to find out the identity of Kylo Ren.

The Solo’s had not been one minute returned to their estate than the baronet was gone. Off on some emergency visit to a tenant a county over. Rey did not care nor did she bid him goodbye. She was busy with her own plans. 

Rey spent some time thinking on Kylo Ren. Most of all how he had looked at her. He knew her, which in turn meant she knew him. Hux was close to finding the bandit’s identity, or thought he was. Rey wanted to get there first. 

She formulated a plan to do just that. 

Much to her advantage, Kaydel Connix returned to the country only a few days after Rey, due, most likely, to Kaydel’s father’s distaste for the First Order. 

Rey decided to pay the girl a visit. 

“I’m delighted to see you again, of course,” Kaydel exclaimed, escorting Rey into her private sitting room. “But I must say I’m surprised. It’s not been long since either of us left the city.” 

“Yes, I know, but Hosnia was much too exciting to make a proper visit with each other, wasn’t it?” Rey replied primly, adjusting the skirts of her green gown and matching overcoat. The hat she wore was set fashionably askew on her head. 

Kaydel eyed Rey suspiciously. “You are not come for a social visit, Rachel. I know you. What is it?”

A blush spread itself across Rey’s cheeks. “You do know me. Too well, I think. Yes, you’re right.” She glanced at the closed door to Kaydel’s sitting room and scoot closer to her hostess on the settee they shared. “I must ask you for a favor.” She said quietly. 

“A favor?” 

“Yes. I’m seeking information on… now you must promise your discretion, Kaydel.” Rey scowled. “I’m about to trust you with not only my life, but possibly another’s as well.”

The girl’s eyes widened and she reached out to take Rey’s hand. “I would do nothing to harm you, my dear, I swear.”

Rey nodded, satisfied. “I know you share my opinion on the First Order.”

“Yes, they’re scum and have illegally taken Chandrila from its citizens.” 

The blunt statement nearly caused Rey to laugh and almost derailed her train of thought. 

“Yes,” she said, clearing her throat. “And you also share my thoughts on Kylo Ren.”

A sly look appeared on Kaydel’s face that very nearly had Rey blushing again. “Yes, I do.”

Rey plunged ahead. “Lord Hux is on the hunt for him but I wish to find out who Kylo Ren is first. To warn him. To help his cause.” 

Perhaps Kaydel had not quite realized the depth of Rey’s ardor, for she gasped in horror. 

“Rey, you can’t! If Hux finds out what you’re doing…”

“He won’t.” Rey said firmly.

“But you’ve already been so vocal against the First Order!”

“I’ve taken care of that. He can no longer hold me under any suspicion. And now that my husband,” she grimaced, “has pledged his allegiance to the First Order, he has even less reason to think me disloyal.”

Kaydel’s mouth dropped open at the news. “Oh, Rey,” she tightened her hold on Rey’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

Rather than let grief overpower her for the marriage she now considered dissolved in all counts except the law, Rey siphoned it to her anger, to her determination that what she was doing was right. 

“I need your help, Kaydel.”

“But what could I do?” she asked, elegant brows furrowed. 

“Your father might know the information I seek,” Rey replied slowly. “The names of the four men Hux suspects.”

Understanding dawned on Kaydel’s face. “I see. He has maintained his position as a lord in parliament. He’s not happy but sees no other path. Hux has invited him to some meetings…Yes,” she nodded slowly. “I might be able to find out what you need.”

****

A few days later, Rey received a note from Kaydel that, to unassuming eyes, would seem like simple gossip, but per their agreed code, contained the names of three of the men Rey sought. The fourth as yet still eluded her, but that Kaydel had supplied three was more than Rey had hoped. 

The first was Lord Cassian Andor, a young member of parliament who was still making a name for himself but had not yet pledged loyalty to the First Order. Rey was somewhat acquainted with his wife, Jyn, and knew well that the woman was no friend of the First Order. 

Lord Revan was the second. He was less familiar to Rey; he and his wife Bastila tended to keep to themselves in their manor, but if he was on Hux’s list, than he was not an ally to the First Order either. 

The third suspect was Sir Carth Onasi, a close friend to the Revan’s but outspoken and extroverted, which made him popular with the ladies. He was a bachelor, which in Rey’s mind gave his case more weight, though by no means did it discount the others. She knew Carth; he had often taken Ben’s place as her dance partner at balls and she had conversed with him at hunts and garden parties. He was charming, roguish, a good horseman… Yes, he might very well be the man she sought. 

Her mind’s gears turned as she schemed a way to be certain. 

The harvest was near and promised to be a good one. A grand excuse for a celebration. 

Yes. The harvest was a perfect opportunity.

****

Planning parties was not Rey’s forte but for this venture she called on skills she didn’t even know she possessed. The harvest ball was the best, most expensive gathering the Solo’s had ever hosted. The manor’s grand ballroom was transformed into a display of fall colors the likes of which could not be bested except perhaps in Hosnia.

Of course, the man of the house was nowhere to be seen, but that was of no concern to his wife. She preferred his absence. One less First Order lackey to think about. 

On the eve of the party Rey wore a beautiful dress she had special ordered from Hosnia: a burgundy satin with an off-white floral lace pattern on the waistcoat; a design of the latest fashion and most expensive materials. If it was also reminiscent of First Order colors, that was purely by happy accident. At least, that would be her blushing excuse when asked. 

Rey was surprised by the time that the event got under way and all the guests had arrives - including the most important ones - that she was actually somewhat enjoying herself. Perhaps because it was a gala held in the safety of her own home, or because she had a plan, a focus for the first time in years. 

Of course she invited Lord Hux. She couldn’t snub him nor did she want to. She wanted him there to see the three men he suspected; she wanted to observe him watching and questioning them. Naturally, she would make her own inquiries, but there was no harm in discovering how the enemy went about making theirs. 

As she watched, Rey turned about the room, making sure she spoke with everyone, participating in small talk that bored her but put her guests at ease. Kaydel and her father were present, as well as other prominent aristocrats, among whom Rey hoped the fourth man Hux suspected was. 

When enough of the night had passed, Rey meandered over to Lord Revan and his wife. 

“Bastila, darling!” Rey smiled warmly and reached out to press kisses upon Lady Revan’s cheeks. “It’s so wonderful to see you!”

The embrace was returned in kind before Bastila took the arm of her husband. “We’re so pleased to have come!” She shared a smiled with Lord Revan. “My husband and I were only discussing the other day how we would like to get to know you and Lord Solo better, weren’t we dear?”

“Indeed,” Lord Revan bowed his head. “I must admit I’m disappointed your husband is not here tonight, madame.”

“Yes, unfortunately he had an urgent call from one of our new tenants and could not be here. He sends his regrets.” Rey managed to sound sincere. In reality, Ben didn’t have a clue this party was happening. Nor did she care if he knew. She would do as she pleased. However, the Revan’s comments reminded her that whoever Kylo Ren was, Rey shared a deeper connection to him than she did with Lord Revan. That relationship was a meager one, barely an acquaintance; in the midst of a chaotic crowd, as on that day at Parliament, he would not pause and stare at her in the manner Kylo Ren had. 

All the same, best to make sure. 

“I understand.” Lord Revan said. “Perhaps next time.”

“Yes, next time.” Rey guided the conversation toward more leading topics, like where the Revan’s liked to travel, if they had been out of the country lately, and the recent state of affairs, anything to give her a clue that Lord Revan was or wasn’t Kylo Ren. 

By the time Rey needed to move on to another guest - or check on the wine - she decided that Lord Revan was not the masked bandit. She was glad Hux as yet still suspected him, because his attentions would be diverted from the true culprit. 

Giving Rey more time to find him. 

Of Lord Andor she could say she knew him a little better, but she yet doubted he would stop for her amidst a crowd. What’s more, in her conversation with Lord and Lady Andor, she learned that they were abroad when Kylo Ren had charged through Hosnia. Lord Andor was clear. 

Hux would surely find that out soon enough, if he didn’t know already. 

Which left Sir Carth Onasi and the mysterious fourth man. 

“The lady is alone this evening?” The very man she wanted to speak with appeared at her shoulder. Rey turned and smiled genuinely upon seeing him. He was in a dark coat this evening, rather reminiscent of Kylo Ren’s preferred uniform. 

“The lady has her friends about her,” Rey retorted in a good-natured manner. “How could she be alone?”

Sir Carth’s blue eyes darted about as if danger were lurking around the corner. “Indeed, but among them are wolves…” he grinned. “The likes of which a lady as yourself should not roam among unprotected.”

“I see only one wolf.” Rey turned a chastising gaze on the flirtatious man beside her. “You are incorrigible, Sir Carth.”

He laughed. “A chap can but try. I observe the lord of the manor is missing. Where has the inimitable baronet gone this evening?”

Rey waved a hand dismissively. “Some business with a tenant a county over.” 

“Methinks he is not missed…” Sir Carth’s brows rose high. “Could that be?”

A flush bloomed on Rey’s cheeks, chastened as she was by his comment. She had been too obvious. “I… I think your question impertinent, sir.”

Her guest bowed. “Please forgive me. Might I make it up to you with a dance?” Sir Carth offered his hand to her with an apologetic smile. Rey, grateful for the swift change, returned a smile in relief. 

“Yes, of course.”

Sir Carth led her on a pleasant turn around the room and they talked of menial things, at first, but before Rey could broach a subject which might inform her of his potential to be Kylo Ren, an uninvited guest burst into the ballroom. A messenger. 

“Lord Hux!” He called. “Lord Hux!”

The noise disturbed the ballroom. Everyone stopped in their tracks and the orchestra ceased their tune. Rey excused herself from Sir Carth and rushed to the front of the room to join an irate Hux and the messenger. 

“What is it?” Lord Hux demanded. The messenger shoved a wrinkled note at him. 

“Kylo Ren attacked a caravan carrying gold to the fort. He and his gang took it all. General Morris demands your presence.”

Rey was stunned. Kylo Ren had attacked this night. Which meant none of the men present could be the bandit. None of them. 

“Of course,” Hux responded. “I’ll leave immediately. Lady Solo,” he turned to her. “Please, forgive me, but I must leave your lovely celebration too early.”

“You must do your duty,” Rey murmured. She wondered that he was not enraged; any mention of Kylo Ren usually sent Hux into hysterics and this incident was truly a blow to the First Order in Chandrila. Indeed, he seemed… pleased. Her confusion lasted until she realized what had been accomplished. What _she_ had accomplished for Hux. And at the revelation, she went cold with horror. 

Whoever Kylo Ren was, now Hux - and the First Order - knew his identity. 

Kylo Ren was a dead man. 

****

The harvest celebration dispersed soon after the interruption by Hux’s messenger. Rey didn’t cared. The realization her efforts had aided the First Order in finding Kylo Ren sickened and shamed her. She tried to sleep, but she could not stop thinking about the man - the hero - who she had surely helped send to the gallows. 

Which was why she was up when Ben arrived home. 

She was in the parlor, dressed in her nightgown and a robe, hair braided for bed. But instead of laying under her warm comforter, she sat on the settee and stared into the embers of a dying fire, thinking of her sins. She was there when she heard the front door open and close. Then the familiar footfalls of her husband shuffling down the hall and toward the staircase reached her ears, only to pause at the half-open parlor door. Rey watched as the door was pushed forward and Ben’s silhouette appeared. 

“You’re awake.”

Rey sighed. “I couldn’t sleep.” He grunted in return and leaned against the doorway. The way his body sagged plucked at a long-buried emotion and before Rey could stop herself, she made her way across the floor to him. When she reached him, she tentatively pressed a hand to his shoulder; his cloak was wet from a rain she had not known was falling and he smelled of dirt and horse and smoke. “Are you well, husband?”

Unsurprisingly, he did not answer. Instead, he leaned toward her and placed a gloved hand over hers. His cheek came to rest against her temple and Rey ceased breathing. She went utterly still. Ben had not touched her in this way in… she could not remember. For a reason that was still lost to her, he had not sought comfort from her in months. 

_He must be suffering_, she thought mournfully. “Ben,” she whispered. “What’s wrong? Please, tell me.”

Her husband shuddered and his head dropped slightly, until his nose brushed hers and their foreheads touched. Rey kept her eyes locked on his face and though his own eyes were closed, she could tell he was struggling. His chest heaved and his breaths came quick. She desperately wanted to know what he needed, to help him, to have him trust her again.

“Ben, please.” His fingers tightened around her hand. “Let me in.”

His eyes snapped open and for a moment she thought he was going to finally, finally open to her but instead, like a wisp of smoke, he was gone, striding up the stairs before Rey could take a breath. 

Her hand was still aloft, still in the place where his shoulder had been.

It was as if he were a ghost. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still reeling from the night before, Rey is thrown into greater shock when she accidentally discovers the true identity of Kylo Ren.

The breakfast table was silent the next morning. Rey was exhausted, having spent the entire night either in tears or mentally flagellating herself for being so stupid; sleep had come and gone in short spurts. She couldn’t decide what was torturing her more: Her marriage or betraying Kylo Ren to the First Order. The inner turmoil spoiled her appetite and she couldn’t touch a morsel of her breakfast. 

Only when the footmen descended to take the dishes did she notice that Ben hadn’t eaten either. He was staring out the window, into the mist blanketing the valley, his hands fisted, his face pale. There were dark circles under his eyes; he hadn’t slept much, either. 

Rey wanted to say something. To plead with him to tell her what was on his mind. 

But she kept silent for she knew all too well he would not answer. 

“Sir.” Mitaka appeared in the room and strode to Ben’s chair. He carried a silver letter plate. A note was on it. “This has just arrived. From your tenants in-” his glanced at Rey “-in the south.”

Instantly, her husband’s demeanor changed. He sat straight and snatched the note from the plate, tearing it open with the letter-knife that had sat beside it. Rey watched intently as his eyes darted across the wrinkled page. 

“Is the messenger still here?” Ben asked. 

“Yes, sir.”

Ben’s chair scrapped roughly over the floor, nearly falling over, as he stood. He didn’t say a word as he strode out of the room. Rey heard him go into his study and moments later the front door slammed shut. 

Slowly, Rey stood. She shuffled to the dining room entrance and into the hallway. Mitaka passed by, flustered for some reason. Rey put out a hand to stop him. He started, as if he hadn’t seen her. 

“Oh, Lady Solo!” 

“Is my husband gone somewhere, Mitaka?” she asked. He hesitated and Rey frowned. “Answer me.”

“He’s had an urgent message, ma’am.” The butler answered in a hesitant manner. “He told me to express his apologies to you, but he doesn’t know when he’ll be back.”

Rey dropped her hand from Mitaka’s arm and gave a stiff nod. Of course. What else had she expected? “Thank you, Mitaka.” 

The young man seemed to want to say something but whatever it was he decided against it, for a second later he bowed and hurried off to fulfill his other duties. Rey remained in the hall, staring at the front door. She wondered yet again at the distance between she and her husband, a circumstance that only a year ago she would have said was impossible. 

Fatigue washed over her and she pressed a hand to her forehead. Her sleepless night was catching up to her and the soft mattress of her bed was calling. 

As Rey turned to climb the stairs, her eyes fell on the open door of her husband’s study. It was never open. Not of late, anyway. She hadn’t been allowed inside the study; once she had tried to enter and Ben had nearly shouted at her. After that, she had stayed far away and the door had been shut tight. 

It was not now. 

An unknown energy tugged her forward, pulling her to the door and Rey reached out to push it open further. 

It was as she remembered it; books laying about everywhere, most of them works she’d noticed were missing from the library - some were open, laying haphazardly on the shelves and tables, as if he’d begun reading them and then dropped it for another. He could be like that, she thought with a pang, wandering in. His mind was often too busy to focus on only one tome. The room was warm and cozy; Rey remembered in the first months of their marriage she would come in whenever she pleased and sit at his side on the couch near the window, or lay against him as he read to her from one of the books. She never cared which; it could have been on the most boring subject in the world but as long as he was reading then it was her favorite. 

She stared at the couch now, bitterly wondering if those moments had merely been figments of her imagination.

Newspapers, many of them highlighting Kylo Ren’s exploits were strewn across its surface. For a man who disdained the bandit so much, Ben seemed obsessed with his movements. 

Rey turned her gaze to the writing desk, where she had once watched her husband scrawl beautiful things; letters, calligraphic practice, sometimes love notes to her. He’d leave the notes everywhere - on her dresser, her vanity, at the dining table. 

That lovely ritual had stopped months ago. The old notes were now gathering dust in a box beneath her bed. 

The desk was a mess now, covered in papers and Rey saw a fresh ink spill. Ben must have taken something from it as he left and knocked the inkwell over. She frowned and moved closer, a drawer she had never noticed before sticking out from beneath the desk. 

A hidden drawer. The things were not altogether uncommon, often used for important documents and things persons wanted close by but out of sight. She wasn’t surprised Ben had one installed; she was surprised she hadn’t known about it. 

Rey reached out to open the drawer. It stuck and she had to tug with some effort to loosen it. 

Too much effort, as it happened, because with no warning the thing dropped from the desk and flung its contents everywhere. Rey leaped back as sheafs of paper fluttered around her but what startled her most was the dull thud that met her ears as something heavy hit the floor. 

Curious, Rey dropped the now empty drawer and knelt to search for the object, her blue skirts billowing out around her like angry waves in a stormy ocean. She sifted through the papers and noticed maps were among them, maps of Takodana. Rey paused and picked one such map up. Upon it were marks and notes in her husbands script, details of encampments and forts. Rey’s heart leapt to her throat when saw to whom the locations belonged. 

“The First Order,” she murmured to herself. “Is he gone to war for them already?”

Putting the map aside with a heavy heart, she returned to looking for the mysterious object which had also fallen out of the drawer. When she finally found it, she could only stare at the thing in confusion as it lay in the palm of her hand.

The object of her search was a brass stamp emblazoned with the initials ‘KR’; it was caked in red wax, evidence it had been used recently. The stamp was not old; indeed, it appeared to be quite new. So it could not be a relic of the Skywalker family. In fact, Rey could not think of a single person in the family’s history with the initials ‘KR’.

An envelope near where the stamp had fallen caught her attention. Though the letter had been opened, the red wax seal could still be read. It bore the same two initials. 

Her fingers trembled as she removed the letter inside the envelope, certain events from the past year falling into a neat line where once they had been jumbled and confused. 

Unfolding the letter, Rey’s eyes immediately found the name ‘Lord Ren’ emblazoned in red ink. Heart racing, she scoured its contents and the revelation therein froze her blood. Rey dropped the letter and picked up another, praying that she was wrong, that all of this was a wild coincidence. 

But the truth could not be denied. Not as each and every note, every paper and map, pointed to her own husband being the very man for whom she had been searching. The man she had in all ways but the physical, handed over to the First Order. 

Sick to her stomach, the room closed in around her, exhaustion and shock mixing together so that she swayed and nearly passed out. Rey took deep breaths as she braced herself on the floor, willing herself to stay conscious.

“What have I done?” she whispered, tears spilling over her cheeks. “Ben…”

She had to do something, find him and warn him. She grabbed for the first letter she’d read and leapt up, rushing out of the study. 

At that very moment a resounding knock shook the front door. 

In the hopes that Ben had returned, Rey hurried forward and yanked it open without a second thought, only to see the figure of Lord Hux standing on the porch. At attention in the drive behind him were three First Order soldiers upon horses. In the blink of an eye, all her hope crumbled and turned to dust. 

“Lady Solo!” Hux exclaimed, his eyes wide. His dark suit was speckled with dust from his journey. “Are you alright? You look ill.”

“N-no, I’m alright. I only…” Rey quickly wiped her tears away and tried to find something, anything, plausible to explain her distraught appearance. “I was startled by a bird at the window in my husband’s study and spilled ink over his desk. Over some important papers. He’ll be very upset when he finds out.”

Hux’s eyes narrowed and flicked to the letter in Rey’s hand which she shifted to conceal in a fold of her skirt. “They must be important, to have upset you so.”

“Yes. What can I do for you, Lord Hux?” She straightened her shoulders and did her best to regain some composure. “I was not expecting you today.”

“I’m come to inquire after your husband. Is he here? I’d very much like to speak with him.” 

Rey’s heart jumped to her throat and she very nearly swayed again. The soldiers. He’d come to arrest Ben. Her husband had always been Hux’s fourth man. He’d never cleared him. “N-no, he isn’t. He had an emergency to attend to. One of our tenants.”

“I see.” He glanced over his shoulder to the men behind him and seemed to fall into thought. After a long moment in which Rey feared she would fall, Hux returned his attention to her with a smile. “Then allow me to apologize again for my rude disappearance last night.” He said. His voice took on a strangely light tone and his eyes shone. “And to thank you.”

Rey scowled. “Thank me?”

“Yes. Your gala was instrumental to my search for Kylo Ren. Pivotal, in fact.”

“Indeed?” Her voice trembled and she hoped he didn’t notice. “In what way?”

“There were four men on my list of suspects.” He said, surprising her by his honesty. Then again, why bother hiding your list when you already had your man. And were standing in front of his wife. “Three of them were at the celebration last night. One man wasn’t. Kylo Ren attacked during the event. So, by deduction…” he trailed off and smiled in a way that reminded Rey of a viper. 

“You know Kylo Ren’s identity.” She murmured, barely above a whisper. 

Hux’s voice dripped with glee. “Yes. And soon he will be in my custody.” He reached out and took her free hand in his. Rey fought every instinct in her body not to flinch and pull away. “I wanted to let you know, that without your actions, I could not have accomplished this.” 

Her stomach roiled and Rey swallowed to keep the nausea at bay. Hux had used her. She knew now he’d manipulated her at the ball in Hosnia; he’d purposely given her clues knowing she’d seek out the answers. Kaydel was right; Rey had been too obvious in her vitriol against the First Order. Hux had seen right through her deception and used it to expose her husband.

Rey wanted to scream. She wanted to fall into a heap and beg for her husband’s life. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t give Hux that satisfaction. Drawing on her last ounces of patience and energy, she smiled graciously. 

“I’m flattered, Lord Hux. Surely you must be eager to find your man. I shan’t keep you any longer.” She managed to say the words without her voice wavering this time. Her visitor seemed to appraise her, attempting - Rey assumed - to divine whether or not she was already aware of who his quarry was. Whether she was a willing party to her husband’s work. 

She was not. That she could answer honestly, if asked, but she feared she would also break down in tears. Thankfully, he did not broach the question. 

“Yes, thank you again, madam. You will see the fruits of my labors soon. Marched in chains through the streets of Hosnia.” He tipped his hat to her and strode off, toward the bay horse awaiting him at the bottom of the manor’s stairs. Rey waited until Hux and the soldiers were past the tree line marking the land’s property before shutting the front door and collapsing against it and sliding down to the floor. Her body was ready to give in but she would not let it, not yet. Not yet. 

With a great force of will, Rey stood. She needed to find Ben, before Hux found him first. 

There was one person in the house who knew where he was hiding. 

“MITAKA!”

The man stood before her in moments, out of breath and pale. 

“My lady, what is the matter?” He gasped. 

She shook the letter she’d pulled from the pile in Ben’s study in the young butler’s face, her fear and shock morphing into anger. “This letter mentions you. You know, don’t you? You know of my husband’s activities?”

Mitaka’s dark eyes leapt from the letter to Rey and back to the letter. He cleared his throat and gave a slight nod. “Lady Solo, I must admit that I do.”

The arm holding the letter drifted back to Rey’s side. So, it was true, her husband would tell the butler but not herself of this secret. The most vital, important secret that she imagined could ever exist between them and she did not know. To their ruin. But that was an issue to be discussed at another time. 

“Where is he, Mitaka? Where did he go this morning?” The butler hesitated and Rey grasped his arms, fresh tears on her cheeks. “Please, it’s important. Lord Hux knows. He knows and I have to warn Ben.”

The poor man’s throat bobbed. “There’s a place. A meeting place in the forest.”

“Where?” Rey squeezed his arms. 

“Across the channel. Madam, you don’t look well. Won’t you sit down?”

“I’m fine. Give me details, Mitaka.” Her resolve imbued her with renewed strength. “Tell me everything.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey confronts the bandit Kylo Ren and faces a new future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, y'all! Oh my goodness, I can't express how grateful and happy at the response to this little fic that turned into so much more than I originally intended! I love you all and I hope you enjoy the ending! When I tell you I cried, I do not exaggerate. 
> 
> Thank you again, dear readers! Your support means the world! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> Zoa

Rey waited until dark to make her journey. She wanted to be sure she would not be followed, should Hux be watching the manor. Even under the cloak of night, she was constantly checking for dark figures. To her relief, she saw none and reached the Skywalker family’s private docks without incident.

Traversing the channel did not take long but Rey spent the entirety of the trip gathering her energy. She would need as much as she could muster when she confronted Ben, because her concern for him was quickly morphing into anger as she learned of how many of their loyal employees knew of his adventures when she did not. The catalyst being that when Rey had arrived at the docks and gave the schooner’s crew her directions, they immediately jumped into a well-oiled routine. As they worked, each man shot her a guilty glance and she realized they knew. They had probably helped Ben get across the channel that very day.

With Mitaka’s information and instructions given by the schooner’s first mate, Rey was able to find the small glen the Knights of Ren had adopted as their hideout. She had worn a brown traveling dress, her plainest, with shorter skirts than most of her gowns that were excellent for traipsing through brush such as the sort in the Takodana forests, and a hardy cloak to protect her against the autumn chill. Her leather boots protected her feet from the damp earth.

When she reached the glen, she saw in the moonlight that nine masked people were gathered. Some were astride horses, others stood beside their animals, but they all surrounded a tenth man, a man who was speaking with authority and moved in a rolling gait that Rey recognized instantly. Perhaps if she had seen him off his steed, she might have known Kylo Ren sooner. 

With that final confirmation, she did not hesitate to stride into the glen and approach the meeting. When her presence was noted, some of the masked figures whirled and drew their weapons. But Rey did not so much as flinch at the rapiers and pistols pointed at her. She only had eyes for the tenth man, who was frozen in place under her gaze.

Good. 

She stepped closer and the others all shifted as if to prevent her from moving but the tenth raised his hand. The others stepped aside and allowed Rey to enter the circle. She stopped when she reached their leader and stared up at him with a hard expression.

“Take that damn thing off,” she ordered, livid. 

Even though she already knew what lay beneath, Rey’s heart pounded as the tall man removed his mask and revealed the face of her husband. 

“Ben.” She breathed. The brown eyes she thought had lost all their warmth peered down at her lovingly and she nearly fell to her knees, her ire momentarily forgotten. “Oh, Ben.”

“Hello, Rey.”

Heat suffused her cheeks and in a flash her fury returned. “Why didn’t you tell me? And don’t say you were protecting me!” She added, somehow more furious at the prospect. 

“Then I can give you no answer,” Ben responded lightly. “But that doesn’t satisfy you.”

Rey wrinkled her nose. “No.”

Her husband glanced at the other masked people idling a discreet distance away. “We all swore to protect each other and our loved ones.” He turned his gaze back to her. “By keeping silent, if we were ever caught, you would be able to truthfully deny any knowledge of our undertaking.”

“I would have helped you,” Rey whispered, clutching her cloak tighter about her. Ben took a step forward, as if he would take her in his arms, but he refrained, his free hand closing into a tight fist at his side. An ache reverberated through Rey’s chest. Had there been too much damage to their relationship? Was it her fault for not believing in his goodness? Was there no more trust between them?

“I know, sweetheart.” He replied in a gentle manner, using the endearment he’d given her during their courtship. Rey’s eyes stung with unshed tears. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she’d heard him use it, or how much she’d missed it. “That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t let you know because you would have insisted on joining me. I couldn’t have you out here. Or there facing the likes of Hux alone. The only reason I was able to do any of this is because I knew you were far away and safe.”

The tears that had been wavering at the corners of Rey’s eyes fell freely down her cheeks. “I don’t want to be safe,” she gasped. “Not if the cost is losing you. I’ve _missed_ you, Ben. Terribly.”

The confession dismantled whatever had been preventing Ben from holding her and Rey was pulled into his strong arms to be held tightly; the mask dropped to the ground with a thud. She slid her arms up his back to grasp his shoulders and buried her face in his chest. How good it was to be in his arms again, to breathe deeply his scent of leather and spice and _him_.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice thick and tremulous. “Rey. Can you forgive me?”

Though she longed to forget her rage and exclaim yes, she would forgive him, Rey could not allow her husband to be so easily pardoned. The desire was in her heart but she was not yet ready. 

Reluctantly, she withdrew from his arms and retreated a step or two. “You have much to answer for, husband. You were quite successful in leading me to believe you were the thing I detested most.”

“I suppose I did a better job at acting the First Order fool than I thought.” Ben’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Perhaps I should make a career of it.”

“You did indeed but I will have no more of it.” Rey fixed a stern glare on him. She was not smiling. “There will be no more secrets or lies between us. Agreed?”

Ben nodded. “Agreed.”

One of the knights approached at that time and interrupted them.

“Lord Ren,” the man said cautiously. “We need to make haste. The First Order draws near.” 

Rey frowned. There was something familiar about the man’s voice. 

“Remove your mask, sir.” She ordered and noticed Ben repressing another smile as he nodded at his comrade to obey. 

The strange mask came off and Rey was aghast and delighted to see her own brother beneath it, smiling shyly at her.

“Finn!” She yelped and launched herself into his arms. “You’re alright! I thought you were imprisoned?”

“Yes, sister!” Finn laughed as he returned the embrace. “My brother-in-law freed me - and many others - from that First Order prison. I am forever in his debt…” He trailed off and Rey could sense a new respect had formed between her husband and her brother. They had once not been on the best of terms; a pity such a terrible act as Finn’s internment was the thing that had drawn them together, but Rey was grateful nonetheless. 

Her happy thoughts evaporated when she recalled exactly what the leader of the Knights of Ren had suffered in that prison break. 

“You were shot!” She whirled on her husband, fear and fresh anger mixing a sickening concoction in her stomach. Ben grimaced. “You were shot and I nearly lost you!”

“It was a graze,” he tried to assure her but Rey would have none of it.

“Is that how you would have had me learn of your alter ego?” She snapped, chest rising and falling in desperate breaths. “Most likely Hux would have dropped your corpse on our doorstep and gloated as he informed me of your escapades!” 

Her husband paled and immediately pulled her back into his arms. Despite her rage, Rey didn’t resist. She curled her fingers into his cloak and drew herself into him, trembling at the scenario that had come alive in her mind so vividly that her heart nearly broke.

“I returned to you,” Ben whispered in her ear. “I will always return to you.” 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Finn said, more urgently. “But Lord Hux knows our location. Poe said it is he who is leading the group.”

Rey gasped, guilt pouring over her like a waterfall. Despite her efforts, Hux had still managed to trail her to Ben. “Because of me. He must have followed me.”

To her surprise, Ben shook his head with no hint of anger or disappointment. “No, my dear. He was already aware of our location. That was the reason I left as I did this morning. An agent of mine in the First Order warned me Hux knew of my identity and was actively seeking our hidden meeting place.” He frowned. “But it is a mystery how he learned of it.”

“Ah,” Rey swallowed back her nerves before she confessed. “_That_ is my fault.”

The way in which her husband’s brows rose was a mixture of amusement and shock. “You?”

“Sir? The First Order. We must leave.” Finn reminded. Ben nodded and gestured to his horse.

“Come, my dear. We can discuss your apparent betrayal when we’re safe. I assume you crossed the channel in our schooner?”

Rey hurried to embrace her brother before she joined her husband at his horse. “Yes.” She replied. “Speaking of, how is it that our entire household knew about your adventures and I did not?” She eyed him severely. 

“Indeed.” He cleared his throat, well aware of the slight, Rey was sure, and offered her his hand. “I will be happy to answer that when we have escaped these First Order fiends.”

She spared a moment to consider him before she placed her hand in his. “We shall exchange our sins, then.”

“Yes, my wife.” A smile pulled at his full mouth before he raised her hand to it and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. The way his eyes glinted as they peered at her over the bend of her wrist warmed her blood. The scoundrel was flirting with her. She should have been be angry with him. Livid. 

And she was. But, damn him, she was also charmed. She was determined not to let her weakness show; she would have her answers first. 

Rey allowed him to lift her onto his steed, sidesaddle due to her skirts. Ben joined her a moment later, settling himself behind her and encircling his arms protectively around her as he took hold of the reigns. He raised one arm and sent forth a signal to the rest of the group. They dispersed into the forest. Finn turned and waved, which Rey returned with a pang in her heart. She wished him a safe journey and prayed they would see each other again soon.

“Where are they going?” Rey asked, looking over her shoulder as Ben turned his horse toward the channel. 

“Some will lead off Hux, distracting him from our escape. The others will join us at a pre-appointed location to regroup.” 

“Regroup?” she repeated; her fingers curled into the horse’s mane as Ben urged the creature into a canter. “Does that mean…”

“We are not finished with our rebellion, my love. It is only just begun.”

****

The schooner was well under way before Ben joined Rey in the master quarters. He had insisted on ensuring they got off safely, and to give the crew the chance to leave if they so chose. No man had debarked. 

Rey rose from the bed and lit the two candles on the beside table as her husband entered. She had taken the opportunity to rest in his absence. The hour or two of sleep she managed to enjoy had done wonders and she was ready to face Ben. They had much to discuss.

“Are you well?” Ben asked quietly as he removed his dark cloak and laid it across a nearby chair. He was still dressed in Kylo Ren’s dark clothing, the same as she’d seen him wear in Hosnia. “You were pale when we arrived.”

“I am, thank you. I’ve not had much sleep the past few days. My mind has been greatly troubled.” Rey clasped her hands together and fixed a glare on Ben. Between the moonlight streaming through the cabin’s window and the candles she knew he could see it. “Unbeknownst to me until this morning, _you_ were the cause of my anxiety.”

“Yes, I am sorry for that,” he moved further into the room. “I must ask, how did you come to know of my identity?”

“I found the hidden drawer in your study.” Rey replied with a light shrug. “I wandered in because you left the door open in your haste. I was curious. It has been so long, you know, since I was last allowed in there.”

She did not care to hide the bite in her tone. 

Guilt passed over his face. “I don’t suppose I will ever utter enough apologies for my behavior these past months.”

Rey looked away, her throat thickening with emotion. “You’ve been deplorable.”

“I know.” He murmured.

“You made me hate you.”

“Yes.”

“You allowed me to think you were a traitor.”

“Yes.”

“You have embarrassed me.”

“I have.”

“You _lied_ to me.” By this time Rey was nearly at a shout. She had given in completely to her wrath and hurt; angry tears trickled down her cheeks unchecked. 

“I did.” Ben had stepped closer during the exchange and was now standing mere inches from her, which forced Rey to turn her head up to meet his sorrowful gaze. “I am guilty of all these things.”

“You left me cold and alone.” Rey’s voice cracked. “You broke your promise.” The stricken expression on her husband’s face very nearly swept away Rey’s resolve but she continued, though she struggled to speak through her grief. “Do you not remember the vow you made on our wedding day? That I would not be alone again? Ben, I have never felt more alone than I have these past months.”

In a move that stole her breath, Ben sank to his knees before her. His dark eyes shone with unshed tears as he gazed at her face and he took her hands in his; they were shaking. 

“If I could undo my choices, I would, for I wished to avoid any harm to come to you. But I see now that I have brought the greatest. I can only beg your forgiveness and promise that I will strive to never injure you again.” He rested his forehead against her bodice. “I will do anything you ask of me. Please, allow me to prove myself.”

His sincerity was too raw and vulnerable and Rey loved and missed him too much to leave him in suspense. She withdrew her hands from his to cradle his head against her waist before she bent to kiss the top of his dark waves. 

“I forgive you, my love,” she whispered and he shuddered. “Despite your mistakes, you are still the best, most honorable man I have ever known.”

Ben lifted his head to meet her eyes. Her heart thundered at the adoration the candlelight’s gentle glow showed within them. “And you are an angel; a holy creature gifting me with a love that I do not deserve.”

“Do not put me on such a pedestal,” Rey whispered, cupping his cheeks as tears fell down her own. “I have made my own mistakes and allowed myself to be manipulated in my eagerness to rebel.” She sighed and parted from him to sit on the bed. “Ben, why didn’t you tell me?”

Her husband rose and joined her on the bed, resting his hands on his knees. “I have been on the verge of telling you so many times,” he admitted. “The closest I’ve come was last night. I was so tired and… lonely. I missed you. But with Hux so close on my heels I feared that you would be arrested if he sensed you knew anything. I truly thought your ignorance of my activities would protect you.”

Rey placed her hand over his and he instantly closed his fingers around hers. “You were wrong. I admired Kylo Ren and hated you and the First Order too much not to act. Ben, I have gone to such lengths to find Kylo Ren.”

“You have?” His eyes widened.

“You didn’t know? Perhaps I have a career in the theater as well!” Rey laughed sourly. “It is my fault you were found out.”

“You mentioned as much. Pray tell, how could that be?” 

She marveled that he did not seem in the least bit angry. Indeed, by the tone of his voice, he was very much amused.

“It was an accident.” Rey explained. "I found out that Lord Hux suspected four men. I was able to discover three of the names but the fourth remained a mystery. I had no idea he still suspected you after your meeting with him that day, and I didn’t know, of course, _you_ were Kylo Ren. I had to find out more so I… I…” she looked away, her cheeks heated in a furious blush. “I hosted a ball.”

“A ball?” Ben repeated incredulously. Comprehension brightened his eyes. “Ah, so that was why the manor was in such disarray when I returned yesterday. And littered with cornstalks.”

“It was a harvest celebration,” Rey sniffed. “If you had been there, I think you might have enjoyed it. Indeed, if you had attended, Hux would not have discovered Kylo Ren’s real name.”

Her husband tilted his head to one side. “Is that how he figured it out, then?”

Rey averted her eyes again. “I invited the men I knew he suspected. I only wanted to question them and I hoped that the fourth would be there as well. I didn’t think… oh, I made such a grave error, Ben.” She forced herself to face him. “I nearly lost you because I was too eager to… to follow this romantic notion I had in my head.”

“No. This was not your fault.” Ben turned a little so that she could see his entire face and the regret therein. “This situation is entirely my doing. You were following your convictions, your righteous desire to be active against the tyrants. Had I told you of my plans from the beginning, this would all have been avoided. You are not guilty of anything other than being the woman I love.” He raised his hands to tenderly hold her head between them. “You are brave, and stronger than you know, I think. I should have trusted in that. In you.”

“Will you now? Will you allow me to be your partner, in all things?” she asked softly and he nodded. 

“I will.” 

“Then we shall leave it at that. I am ready to move forward.” Rey’s heart pounded quick tattoo. She was eager to leave the past behind them and live for the future. “Now kiss me, husband,” she demanded, flushing as she said it so boldly. “We’ve been apart too long.”

A hungry look passed over Ben’s face. “I mustn’t refuse that,” he murmured and dipped his head. 

For a second his lips only hovered above hers, his breath ghosting across them in a phantom touch. Then they met in a tentative, shy manner reminiscent of their first kiss as a couple and Rey uttered a sigh, and so broke the last barrier between them. Her sigh transformed into a soft whimper as Ben pulled her to him and deepened the embrace.

“Darling. My love.” His lips trailed across her jaw and down to caress the elegant column of her throat. “How I’ve neglected you.”

Rey closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side to allow him better access, relishing his touch. “Yes, you have,” she murmured, and, unable to resist teasing him, added, “but I trust you will strive to vindicate yourself.” 

Much to her chagrin, her husband ceased his attentions, and she would have protested but all words escaped her as he again knelt before her. His eyes captured hers and he slid his hands beneath her skirts to slowly glide his fingers along her calves.

“I will spend hours on my knees,” he whispered, “seeking absolution.”

Rey, seeing no reason to tarry, bade him begin his exercises. A duty he performed most enthusiastically. 

****

The sun rose over the ocean, delivering warmth and scattering brilliant yellow hues across the water. Rey watched from the safety of her husband’s arms as they stood at the _Falcon’s_ railing together. Behind them was Chandrila, a place they might never be able to return, yet Rey felt no sadness at the thought.

Yes, she would miss Kaydel and her other friends, but in all honesty that was secondary to the happiness she experienced now. She would not even miss the grand Skywalker manor. For all she cared, it could go to ruin. 

Until she remembered the many people who lived under her and Ben’s care. 

“What of Mitaka and the house’s servants? And our tenants?” She twisted a little to look at Ben with a worried expression. “Will they be punished by Hux? Will they be alright? ”

Her husband shook his head. “Mitaka knows what to do for the house. I did have a contingency prepared for this occasion, though I hoped I would not have need of it. As for our tenants, I have made arrangements for the contracts to be handed over to Ackbar. They’ll be alright.” He kissed her temple. “Do not worry.”

Rey relaxed, trusting his word. An icy wind blew across the deck and lifted Rey’s unbound hair in a gentle caress; winter was nearby, it promised. She shivered as it touched her skin and Ben closed his arms more tightly around her, enclosing her in the warmth of his body and dark cloak. She sighed and rested against him, content. 

“We’ll arrive on the shores of Naboo soon,” he murmured after a moment. “There’s an old family castle there where we will wait for the others. Not even the First Order knows about it.”

“And then what?” Rey asked softly.

“And then…” he paused. “Then we will see what the future holds.”

Rey considered this. The way life had progressed was not exactly how she had imagined it and she knew harder times were coming. The war was fresh and the Resistance was gnawing at the bit to strike back and she knew Ben would be a part of it. Kylo Ren may have been destroyed, but Ben would yet be integral to destroying the First Order. She was prepared. Frightened, but ready to stand by his side. They would succeed, she felt it in her bones. And even if they didn’t, she and Ben would be together. For that, she could be nothing but grateful. 

The future could not seem brighter. 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hello on [tumblr](https://star-toured.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/StarToured)!


End file.
